Chapter Eight #3
Blair added the mayor’s memory issue, the festival signs going missing and the destruction of the scarecrows to the already long list of mishaps in Moonbeam Hollow that had only started a week ago.
There was no through line – no commonality between these things, other than signs going missing from more than one place.
Belinda had found no mythological or magical tie in library books or online connecting the mishaps, either.
That didn’t mean that witches weren’t behind this, though.
Real witches weren’t in the habit of putting their secrets online, so any information about witches and magic on the internet was second, or third hand, or complete fabrication.
Maybe they could find something in their father’s old books?
Blair heard a noise from above. ‘The festival is theirs,’ a monotone voice said.
Oh no. Belinda was on the stairs in her long white cotton nightgown with her wavy black hair loose around her shoulders.
Belinda had sleepwalked pretty much all her life.
And most nights that she did, she recited a prophecy while in her sleepwalking state.
Kass meowed loudly at Belinda’s feet, telling Blair to help Belinda down the stairs so she wouldn’t fall.
Blair rushed to her sister, gently guiding her until she was downstairs sitting on the sofa.
Kass stayed close to Belinda, his large yellow eyes full of concern for his favourite Briarwood.
Sleeping prophecies were hard on Belinda.
Without fail, she’d have a migraine for several days after one.
And she was at risk of hurting herself when she sleepwalked.
It was extra irritating when the prophecies were useless, like Belinda’s last one, which predicted that Bianca’s hairdryer would break soon, which it did.
But this prophecy seemed more significant. Belinda had said the festival is theirs. But what did that mean?
‘Who does the festival belong to?’ Blair asked gently, so as not to wake Belinda. She had seen this blank, emotionless look on her sister’s face many times, but Blair would never get used to it.
‘The three sisters. Witches.’
Blair frowned. The three sisters were clearly them: Blair, Belinda and Bianca, but how was the festival theirs? This didn’t make sense. ‘How is the festival ours, Belinda?’ Blair asked.
‘They want to destroy it. They want revenge on those who took their lives and legacy. It is justified.’
Blair stilled, her heart beating heavily in her chest. How could this be true? Blair, Belinda and Bianca loved the festival. They would never destroy it. They weren’t seeking revenge. Not from anyone. But Belinda’s prophecies always came true.
‘How can we stop this destruction?’ Blair asked. Kass looked at Blair, dipping his chin in agreement with the question.
‘Trust must be earned again. Go to he who makes tall buildings. He is the key.’
Blair shook her head. ‘What do you mean? How can he be the key?’ This didn’t make any sense. ‘What should I do?’
‘He who makes tall buildings is the key,’ Belinda said, voice fading.
She slowly closed her eyes and curled herself onto the sofa, resting her head on the armrest. The prophecy was over.
Blair stood to get the hand-quilted throw from the armchair and laid it over her.
Kass immediately curled next to Belinda.
Blair exhaled. She knew from experience that Belinda wouldn’t remember this prophecy in the morning. Blair and Bianca often recorded these episodes on their phones to show Belinda when she woke. If they hadn’t recorded the prophecy, they always told Belinda about what she had said.
‘Kass,’ Blair said quietly so Belinda wouldn’t wake.
‘Don’t tell Belinda about this. At all. Okay?
’ Kass narrowed his eyes at Blair, clearly not approving.
‘I’m serious, Kass. It would crush her if she thought that somehow this is all our fault.
I can’t do that to her. I’ll figure this out on my own.
I don’t want to upset Belinda and Bianca. ’
Kass blinked. He was a stickler for rules, ethics and honesty, but above all else, Kass wanted to protect the Briarwood sisters. And it was no secret to any of them that he favoured Belinda over Blair and Bianca.
Finally, Kass’s chin dipped in agreement.
Blair exhaled. Blair couldn’t put her sisters at risk right now.
The prophecy said the three witches, the Briarwoods, wanted to destroy the festival.
Blair had no idea how they could be causing the problems, intentionally or unintentionally, but if others learned that the Briarwoods were behind it, they could be discovered as witches.
If witch hunters found out, they could be hurt, or worse.
Blair’s parents had put her in charge of Belinda and Bianca.
They’d always told her that as the oldest sister, it was her job to protect them.
Blair made a silent promise to figure this out on her own. Her sisters’ wellbeing was the most important thing, and for their happiness and safety, she’d leave them out of the search from now on. She would start by doing what the prophecy said. Go to he who makes tall buildings.
The only person Blair knew who made tall buildings was Luke Caldwell. He may not be the person who created this mess, but Luke played an essential role in stopping it. And Blair needed to find out what that role was.